Bishop Athanasius Schneider to attend Conference

The LMS has today announced that Bishop Athanasius Schneider ORC, will attend the forthcoming priests' training conference. The release states: Bishop Athanasius Schneider to attend conference The Latin Mass Society has announced that Bishop Athanasius Schneider ORC, Auxiliary Bishop of Karaganga in Kazakhstan, will be attending the forthcoming priests' training conference held at Downside Abbey from Tuesday 10th to Friday 13th August. Bishop Schneider will celebrate a Solemn Pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form in the Abbey Church at Downside on Thursday 12th August at 11.00 am. He will also deliver a lecture as part of the conference. Around 30 priests are expected to attend the conference where tuition will be given in the celebration of Mass in the older form. Some will be beginners, and will be studying Low Mass; whilst others with more experience will be expanding their skills to include Missa Cantata and Missa Solemnis. Tuition will also be provided for altar servers. Bishop Schneider is best known for his defence of the traditional practice of receiving Holy Communion on the tongue and kneeling. His book, Dominus Est, originally written in Italian but now available in English, deals with the subject in some detail. The public will be able to attend the 11.00am Mass in the Abbey Church each day of the conference, but will be particularly welcome at the Pontifical Mass on the Thursday. There are a few last minute places available at the Downside conference. Priests and potential servers interestedshould contact the Latin Mass Society by telephoning 020 7404 7284 for further information and an application form. This will be the 6th conference to be organised by the LMS during the last 3 years. Earlier ones have been held at Merton College in Oxford, Ushaw College in Co Durham and All Saints Pastoral Centre in London Colney, Herts. Over 100 priests have attended these conferences, of whom about 85 now regularly celebrate Mass in the Usus Antiquior. Practically all restrictions on the use of the Usus Antiquior or Extraordinary Form were lifted by Pope Benedict XVI in his motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum, published in July 2007. Since then the number of both Sunday and weekday Masses celebrated in the Usus Antiquior has increased in all dioceses of England and Wales. The website of the Latin Mass Society includes listings of Masses celebrated in this form. See www.latin-mass-society.org

Good congregation at Dilston Chapel

This evening Fr Michael Brown celebrated the annual EF Missa Cantata in Dilston Chapel nr Corbridge in Northumberland. The chapel really is tiny, so much so that a full altar team of MC, thurifer & 2 acolytes cannot be used. Instead the MC & Thurifer between them cope with the bells & cruets in addition to their own duties. The Ordinary & Proper were sung by our own Schola with the congregation joining in the final Salve Regina. We were honoured to have Fra Matthew Festing Grand Master of the Military Order of Malta in the congregation as usual. The intention of the Mass was the repose of the souls of the Derwentwater family

Franciscans aiming for Darlington

Good to read in 'Forest Murmurs' that Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate are aiming to take over the Carmel in Darlington. It seems to demonstrate that Orders using the EF are beginning to noticeably flourish as it is only very recently that the Carmelites & Poor Clares (also Franciscans) left Darlington. The big question (apart from the availability of some £1.5M) seems to be whether there is a local priest able to celebrate Mass in the EF for them.

Amendment to Dilston Mass time

There has been some confusion over the starting time for Mass at Dilston Hall, near Corbridge on Thursday 22nd July 2010. Please note that Mass will begin at 7.00pm not 7.30pm as previously stated. We hope this will reach all who intended to be present.

Mass at Dilston Hall nr Corbridge

Missa Cantata will be celebrated on Thursday 22nd July 2010 at 7.30pm. This annual Mass was begun by Fr Michael Brown a number of years ago in recognition of the Faith of the Derwentwater family. An Earl of Derwentwater was executed for the Faith. In more recent times the chapel came under the control of the Church of England but more recently has simply been a tourist site. Because of the lack of space in the chapel the Mass is celebrated without acolytes using only the MC & Thurifer. The congregation is housed both in the tiny nave & in the slightly larger balcony. The celebrant will be Fr Brown & the Gregorian chant provided by our own schola.

Requiescat in Pace

Theresa & I ask your prayers for Fr Eric Woodhead of the diocese of East Anglia who died on 8th July 2010. Theresa worked as Fr Eric's administrator & secretary while she lived in the parish of Our Lady Star of the Sea in Lowestoft before our marriage in 2006. Fr Eric came to Newcastle to perform the wedding ceremony & was deacon at our Solemn Nuptial Mass at St Joseph's in Gateshead. He had some problems over the last 2/3 years &, as an inveterate smoker, ruined his health. He died quietly in his chair at home after reading his daily office. God grant him a merciful judgement.

Feast of SS Peter & Paul

The church of SS Peter & Paul (1 of Fr Brown's 2 churches) celebrated it's patronal feast with a Solemn High Mass celebrated by Fr Brown with Fr Phillips as Deacon & Fr Swales as Subdeacon. The choir was that of St George's Anglican Church, Cullercoats who performed Joseph Haydn's "Little Organ Mass" superbly. The Proper was sung by our own Schola from Jarrow. We were grateful to have a full altar team. We were grateful to St Joseph's, Gateshead for loaning us the full red High Mass set for the Mass. This is the 3rd Solemn High Mass celebrated in the diocese this year & goes a long way towards the aim of our EF priests to have a Solemn High Mass in each of their parishes. It is hoped that St Dominic's, Newcastle may have a Solemn High Mass for the Feast of Christ the King in October leaving only St Mary's, Barnard Castle, Sacred Heart & English Martyrs, Thornley & St Joseph's in Gateshead still to be arranged. Watch this space! We are still anxious to recruit more servers (especially the younger ones) & are hopeful that the newly formed Society of St Tarcisius might help. The possibility of putting on a training day somewhere easily reached is under discussion with the LMS Rep of Leeds diocese. This day would be aimed at training on a very basic level for beginners &, hopefully, some deeper training for more experienced servers. Our next extra Mass will be a Missa Cantata at Dilston Hall which is just outside Corbridge. The chapel is tiny & was formerly the family chapel of the Derwentwater family one ancestor of which was a martyr for the Faith. The Mass will be on Thursday 22nd July 2010 at 7.30pm. Please also put in your diaries the annual Mass at Brinkburn Priory nr Rothbury on Saturday 11th September 2010 at 12 noon. It is hoped it will be a Solemn High Mass & the Rudgate Singers from York will provide a polyphonic setting of the Ordinary whilst the Proper will be sung in Gregorian Chant by our own Schola.

Mass Times in Hexham & Newcastle

Just a note of Sunday Masses in the diocese & other regular Masses celebrated in EF: SUNDAYS: Barnard Castle St Mary's Low Mass at 9.00am Thornley Sacred Heart & English Martyrs Low Mass at 9.30am Newcastle upon Tyne St Dominic's Missa Cantata 11.30am Gateshead St Joseph's, Low Mass 12 noon (Missa Cantata every 3rd Sunday of month) OTHER REGULAR MASSES Coxhoe SS Joseph, Patrick & Cuthbert Low Mass every Thursday 12 noon Forest Hall St Mary's Mon-Fri 7.30am Sat 10am Barnard Castle St Mary's Low Mass every Tuesday 7.30pm (Missa Cantata 1st Tuesday of month) Ryhope St Patrick's Missa Cantata every 3rd Wednesday of month 7.30pm Morpeth St Robert's Low Mass every 4th Wednesday of month 7.30pm Future Masses Dilston Hall Missa Cantata 22nd July 7.30pm Brinkburn Priory, Northumberland Annual High Mass Sat 11th Sept 12 noon

Fr Gary Dickson in Catholic Herald

Can I recommend that you read Fr Gary Dickson's article in this week's 'Catholic Herald' entitled (not his choice) "Why the Old Form thrives in my parish". It shows what can be done in a normal parish & could well begin many conversations.

Celebrating Mass with the Holy Father

Just heard today that Fr Michael Brown, PP of St Mary's Forest Hall, Northern Chaplain of the LMS & regular celebrant of the EF of Holy Mass, is to concelebrate with Pope Benedict during the Papal Visit later this year. It has been said, ridiculously, that this denigrates the EF of Holy Mass but looking at Summorum Pontificum what the Holy Father is saying is that the EF is equal to the OF & that, therefore, priests can, & indeed should, be celebrating both forms of the Mass. Surely all those of us who love the EF (priests & laity alike) should be glad that His Holiness has made the EF more available to us. Please don't let us go down the road of so many 'liberals' who simply denigrate the EF, let us be grateful to the Pope for what he has done. We have to remember that "the Mass is the Mass is the Mass" in whatever form it is celebrated.

Choirs/Servers

Already within the diocese there are 3 choirs providing polyphonic Mass settings- St Mary's, Barnard Castle, St Patrick's, Ryhope & St Dominic's, Newcastle. There is also a schola from the Jarrow area & based at St Joseph's in Gateshead, which provides Gregorian chant Masses at St Joseph's plus the Proper of the Mass in Gregorian chant at other venues. What could be of great benefit to the whole diocese is a diocesan choir which could provide polyphonic settings at the less frequent Solemn High Masses celebrated at various venues throughout the year (notably Brinkburn Priory & such celebrations in parishes). If you think you could be interested please contact me & we can look further into the possibilities. Servers are always in short supply & it is hoped that the recently incorporated Society of St Tarcisius set up under the auspices of the LMS might encourage more boys & men to offer their services. We are fortunate in this diocese to have experienced servers who are only too willing to pass on their expertise to new starters or to those wishing to resurrect their former skills.

Welcome to the very first posting on this our new blog!!! The Latin Mass Society has David & Theresa O'Neill as it's diocesan representatives in the diocese of Hexham & Newcastle. We are based in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England. We consider ourselves relatively fortunate in this diocese as we have Sunday Masses in 4 centres. They are St Mary's in Barnard Castle at 9.00am, Sacred Heart & English Martyrs in Thornley at 9.30am, St Dominic's in Newcastle at 11.30am & St Joseph's in Gateshead at 12 noon. Additionally we have daily Mass at St Mary's, Forest Hall, Newcastle at 7.30am Mon-Fri and 10am on Saturdays. At SS Joseph, Patrick & Cuthbert in Coxhoe we have Mass every Thursday at 12 noon. At St Mary's in Barnard Castle we have Mass every Tuesday at 7.30pm with Missa Cantata on the first Tuesday of each month. At St Patrick's in Ryhope we have Missa Cantata on 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7.30pm At St Robert's in Morpeth we have Mass on 4th Wednesday of each month at 7.15pm We have a monthly Sunday Mass at St Mary's in Forest Hall on the 1st Sunday of each month at 6pm. On a less regular basis we have Solemn High Mass as often as possible. The last was at SS Peter & Paul Church, Longbenton on Tuesday 29th June 2010 (the Feast of SS Peter & Paul) with celebrant Fr Michael Brown, deacon Fr David Phillips & subdeacon Fr Shaun Swales. Haydn's 'Little Organ Mass' was sung by the choir of St George's Anglican Church in Cullercoats & the Proper was sung from the Liber Usualis by our own Schola. The organist was Peter Locke & the serving team was MC David O'Neill, Thurifer Leo Darroch & Acolytes Aidan McGregor & Kenneth Miles. Earlier this month on 21st June 2010 Solemn High Mass was celebrated at SSJoseph, Patrick & Cuthbert, Coxhoe in thanksgiving for the 50th birthday of Fr Shaun Swales who celebrated with Fr David Phillips as deacon & Fr Michael Brown as subdeacon. A Mass which has become an annual event was celebrated as Missa Cantata at Biddlestone in Northumberland Our annual High Mass at Brinkburn Priory in Northumberland will be celebrated on 11th September 2010 at 12 noon with The Rudgate Singers providing a polyphonic Ordinary & our own Schola singing the Proper. The diocesan cathedral of St Mary's in Newcastle is presently being refurbished & we have agreement in principle from the Dean, Fr Peter Leighton, to celebrate a Solemn High Mass sometime in the autumn.